Bandh on Lankan issue: Normal life in TN affected

Normal life in Tamil Nadu was affected due to the 12-hour dawn to dusk state-wide general strike called by the ruling DMK over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue demanding immediate steps for a ceasefire. The strike began at 0600 hours and will end at 1800 hours.

The public transport system was disrupted as buses were off the roads and most commercial and business establishments remained closed. However, supermarket chains were open. Southern Railways operated normal suburban services. All trains were operated on schedule, the Railways said. Airport sources said air services were not affected.

Police said no untoward incident has been reported from any part of the state so far. Most IT establishments, including TCS, Infosys and Wipro among others, remained closed today.

A NASSCOM spokesperson said that certain companies had decided to compensate by opting to work on a Saturday.

Though the state government said buses would ply as per schedule, almost all buses were off the roads. The Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, from where inter-state services are operated to various destinations, including Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tiruchirapalli and Madurai, wore a deserted look as most buses did not ply as scheduled.